Trachta’s Christmas show no lump of coal

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

What: "The Las Vegas Christmas Celebration."

When: 7:30 p.m. through Thursday, with special matinee performances at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Where: The Rio's Scinta's Showroom.

Tickets: $29.95.

Information: (702) 777-7776.

Rating (out of 5 stars): *** 1/2

Four Christmas shows this weekend should get the surliest of Scrooges into the spirit of the season.

Tony Orlando's Christmas show is at The Orleans, Susan Anton's is at the Suncoast and Don Ho's is at Sam's Town. All three productions end Sunday.

Of the four shows now in progress, only Jeff Trachta's yuletide celebration, "The Las Vegas Christmas Celebration," will be around through Christmas.

Jeff who?

Fans of the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" will recognize the name immediately. The 43-year- old native of Staten Island, N.Y., co-starred in the series for eight years, beginning in 1989.

Viewers won't be surprised that the handsome actor can sing. He and co-star Bobbie Eakes (who made a surprise appearance at the Christmas show premiere) sometimes sang together as part of the storyline of their soap opera.

But fans may be surprised at the breadth of Trachta's talent.

The multifaceted entertainer not only sings and acts, but he is a comedian and an impressionist, and he does incredible characterizations of such diverse subjects as an elderly Jewish male and an elderly Jewish female, a gay hairdresser, a man from India, a teenage girl and many others.

The production opens with Trachta appearing on video screens around the room in a dozen different disguises.

This is The Rio's second annual Christmas show. Both have been produced by Dick Foster, who avoids an overly sentimental production and focuses on entertainment that has a holiday theme, but won't have you musing wistfully over Christmases past.

It's hard to wax nostalgic when you're ogling four dancing babes in skimpy costumes.

Last year zany comic Rip Taylor starred in a madcap, high-energy production that was a little strange but enjoyable. The confetti-tossing Taylor is hardly your typical Santa Clause and could not be expected to put on your average, warm and fuzzy, run-of-the mill seasonal show.

Taylor's cast included the requisite voluptuous dancers; two sexy acrobats (Flight La Femme); drum-pounding, bola-flinging gauchos; an Elvis tribute artist and a female vocalist.

Trachta's spin on Christmas is greatly toned down from Taylor's, but constitutes an equally enjoyable mix of comedy and music.

Held over from last year's production are the clothing-deprived dancers and Flight La Femme, two female acrobats who use floor-to-ceiling strands of cloth as they demonstrate the art of wrapping cloth around their bodies and falling -- very exciting to watch.

The superlative Jerry Lopez Band, featured in Clint Holmes' show at Harrah's, provides the backup music.

Fifth Avenue, a fledgling quartet of talented harmonizers, are a welcome addition to this year's show. The vocalists perform jazzy renditions of such favorites as "Jingle Bells" and "Winter Wonderland."

Another highlight of the show is Genevieve, a "bevertainer" at The Rio.

A "bevertainer" is a cocktail waitress or waiter, who -- in the midst of tending to customers -- may jump onto one of the many small, strategically placed stages around The Rio casino and break into song or dance.

Foster introduced the new entertainment concept earlier this year.

He apparently was impressed enough by Genevieve to take her out of the skimpy waitress's uniform, put her into a dazzling gown and let her perform before an audience that was not distracted by banks of slot machines and tipsy tourists.

It was a good decision. Genevieve's vocalization of "Silent Night," "Little Drummer Boy" and her R&B version of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" are delightful.

But make no mistake, the production is a showcase for Trachta -- and he makes the most of it.

After a short medley of Christmas songs, Trachta (who hosts a stage version of "The Price is Right" at Harrah's Reno) quickly engages the audience with his friendly, boyish demeanor.

"My dad sold television sets at the Staten Island mall," he told the audience. "I remember the summer my father brought home the gift that changed my life forever -- a color television set."

Trachta discovered a knack for imitation when he was a child, then proceeded to do impressions of some of television's most recognizable characters: both Edith and Archie Bunker ("All in the Family"), Ted Baxter ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), Thurston B. Howell ("Gilligan's Island") and Mr. Haney ("Green Acres").

Then he focused on the latest fad -- openly gay characters on television.

"We had gay characters on TV when I was a kid, they just weren't open about it," Trachta said, and did Paul Lynde ("Bewitched"), Charles Nelson Riley ("The Ghost and Mrs. Muir") and Pee-Wee Herman ("Pee-Wee's Playhouse").

Among Trachta's routines were that of "Frosty the Showman" and a beleaguered secretary, Lydia, answering a series of telephone calls in the last hours before Santa departs for his deliveries.

Clad in royal attire, he does an amusing takeoff of one of the three wise men searching for the baby Jesus.

Speaking into a cell phone, he says, "I don't understand why the three of us didn't just go in together on a bassinet.

"Are the directions wrong on the invitation? I feel like I've been walking around in circles in the desert for hours. I'm looking for the North Star. I tell you it's not there.

"I have a feeling this is the wrong desert, anyway. They didn't mention anything about dancing fountains and replicas of the Eiffel Tower."

For those who would like to spend a fun 70 minutes in the waning days before Christmas, this is indeed the right desert, and The Rio is the right venue.com